The Fifth Sunday after Epiphany
4 February 2018
The Gathering of the Community
Gathering Music
Announcements
Opening Hymn
‘Arise, Your Light Is Come’ Songs for a Gospel People #19
Greeting
Blessed are you, gracious God,
you have caused a new
light to shine in our hearts.
Hymn of Praise
‘Glory to God on High’ Common
Praise #365
The Collect of the Day
Let us pray.
Everlasting God,
you give strength to the
weak
and power to the faint.
Make us agents of your
healing and wholeness,
so that your good news may
be made known
to the ends of your
creation,
through Jesus Christ, our
Saviour and Lord. Amen. [ii]
The Proclamation of the Word
The First Reading: Isaiah 40.21-31
A reading from the prophet Isaiah.
4.21
Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations
of the earth? 22 It is he who
sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who
stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to live
in; 23 who brings princes to naught, and makes the rulers of the
earth as nothing.
24
Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown, scarcely has their stem taken root in
the earth, when he blows upon them, and they wither, and the tempest carries
them off like stubble.
25 To
whom then will you compare me, or who is my equal? says the Holy One. 26 Lift up your eyes on high and
see: Who created these? He who brings out their host and numbers
them, calling them all by name; because he is great in strength, mighty in
power, not one is missing.
27 Why
do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my
God”? 28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord
is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his
understanding is unsearchable. 29
He gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless. 30 Even youths will faint and be
weary, and the young will fall exhausted; 31 but those who wait for
the Lord shall renew their
strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be
weary, they shall walk and not faint.
Hear what the Spirit is saying to the church.
Thanks be to God.
The Psalm: Psalm 147.1-11, 20 from Songs for the Holy One
Refrain (sung twice): Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
How wonderful to sing praises to our God!
How glorious to honour the
Holy One with psalms!
You rebuild Jerusalem
and gather the exiles of
Israel.
You heal the broken-hearted
and bind up their wounds.
You count the stars
and name them all.
Refrain: Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Mighty are you, O sovereign God,
boundless your power, infinite your understanding.
You defend the
downtrodden,
throw the wicked to the
dust.
Chant to the Holy One in thankfulness;
sing praises with music on
the harp.
Refrain: Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
You cover the heavens with clouds,
supply rain for the earth,
make grass grow on the hills,
and green plants for the world to use
You provide food for flocks
and herds,
and for young ravens when
they call.
You take no pleasure in a horse’s strength,
nor delight in anyone’s legs.
Rather, you delight in all
who revere you,
all who trust your love and
loyalty.
You proclaim your word to Jacob,
your laws and just rules
to Israel.
Refrain: Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
The Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 9.16-23
A reading from Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians.
9.16 If I proclaim the gospel, this
gives me no ground for boasting, for an obligation is laid on me, and woe to me
if I do not proclaim the gospel! 17
For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward; but if not of my own will, I
am entrusted with a commission. 18
What then is my reward? Just this: that in my proclamation I may make the gospel
free of charge, so as not to make full use of my rights in the gospel.
19 For
though I am free with respect to all, I have made myself a slave to all, so
that I might win more of them. 20
To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under
the law (though I myself am not under the law) so that I might win those under
the law. 21 To those outside
the law I became as one outside the law (though I am not free from God’s law
but am under Christ’s law) so that I might win those outside the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, so
that I might win the weak. I have become
all things to all people, that I might by all means save some. 23 I do it all for the sake of the
gospel, so that I may share in its blessings.
Hear what the Spirit is saying to the church.
Thanks be to God.
The Hymn before the Gospel
‘Nade te turbe’ Common
Praise #568 (sung twice)
The Gospel: Mark 1.29-39
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Mark.
Glory to you, Lord Jesus
Christ.
1.29 As
soon as [Jesus and his disciples] left the synagogue, they entered the house of
Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30
Now Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told [Jesus] about
her at once. 31 He came and
took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then
the fever left her, and she began to serve them.
32 That
evening, at sunset, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with
demons. 33 And the whole city
was gathered around the door. 34
And he cured many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many
demons; and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.
35 In
the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted
place, and there he prayed. 36
And Simon and his companions hunted for him. 37 When they found him, they said
to him, “Everyone is searching for you.” 38 He answered, “Let us go on to
the neighbouring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that
is what I came out to do.” 39
And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and
casting out demons.
The gospel of Christ.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus
Christ.
The Hymn after the Gospel
‘Nade te turbe’ Common
Praise #568 (sung once)
The Sermon
The Affirmation of Faith
Let us confess the faith of our baptism.
I believe in God, the
Father almighty,
creator of heaven and
earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ,
God’s only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the
Holy Spirit,
born of the virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius
Pilate,
was crucified, died and
was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose
again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right
hand of the Father,
and he will come to judge
the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy
Spirit,
the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the
body,
The Prayers of the Community
Intercessions, Petitions and
Thanksgivings
The Exchange of the Peace
May the peace of the Lord be always with you.
And also with you.
The Holy Communion
The Offertory Hymn
‘We Place upon Your Table, Lord’
Evangelical Lutheran Worship
#467
(sung to Common Praise
#349)
The Prayer over the Gifts
Let us pray.
God of compassion and forgiveness,
receive our offering this
day,
and make us one with him
who is our peace,
The Thanksgiving at the Table
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the
Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
We give you thanks and
praise, almighty God,
through your Beloved, Jesus Christ,
our Saviour and
Redeemer.
He is your living Word,
through whom you have
created all things.
By the power of the Holy Spirit
he took flesh from the Virgin Mary
and shared our human
nature.
He lived and died as one of
us,
to reconcile us to you, the
God and Creator of all.
In fulfilment of your will
he stretched out his hands
in suffering,
to bring release to those
who place their hope in you;
and so he won for you a
holy people.
He chose to bear our griefs
and sorrows,
and to give us his life on
the cross,
so that he might shatter
the chains of evil and death,
and banish the darkness of
sin and despair.
By his resurrection he
brings us into the light of your presence.
Now with all creation we
raise our voices to proclaim the glory of your name.
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Holy and gracious God,
accept our praise,
through your Son our
Saviour Jesus Christ;
who on the night he was
handed over to suffering and death,
took bread and gave you
thanks, saying,
“Take, and eat: this is my body which is broken for
you.”
In the same way he took the
cup, saying,
“This is my blood which is
shed for you.
When you do this, you do it
in memory of me.”
Remembering, therefore, his
death and resurrection,
we offer you this bread and
this cup,
giving thanks that you have
made us worthy
to stand in your presence
and serve you.
We ask you to send your
Holy Spirit
upon the offering of your
holy Church.
Gather into one all who
share in these sacred mysteries,
filling them with the Holy
Spirit
and confirming their faith
in the truth,
so that together we may
praise you and give you glory
through your Servant, Jesus
Christ.
All glory and honour are
yours,
Author of creation and Word
of redemption,
with the Spirit of wisdom
in the holy Church,
now and for ever. Amen. [vi]
The Lord’s Prayer
As our Saviour taught us, let us pray.
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily
bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin
against us.
Save us from the time of
trial,
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the
power,
and the glory are yours,
now and forever. Amen. [vii]
The Breaking of the Bread
God of glory,
you nourish us with bread from heaven,
fill us with your Holy
Spirit,
so that your light may
shine in all the world. [viii]
These are the gifts of God for the people of God.
Thanks be to God.
The Communion of the Community
The Hymn after Communion
‘We Come to You for Healing, Lord’
Evangelical Lutheran Worship
#617
The Sending Forth of the Community
The Prayer after Communion
Let us pray.
Eternal God,
in you we find peace
beyond all telling.
May we who share in this
heavenly banquet
be instruments of your
peace on earth,
in the name of Jesus the
Christ. Amen. [ix]
Glory to God,
whose power, working in
us,
can do infinitely more
than we can ask or
imagine.
Glory to God from
generation to generation,
in the Church and in
Christ Jesus,
The Closing Hymn
‘I Am the Light of the World’
Songs for a Gospel People #24
The Dismissal
Go forth into the world in the name of Christ
who has called us in life and light.
Thanks be to God.
